History

Joe Robinson had parlayed a music publishing company that he established years before in New York into Red Robin, Fury, Fire, Enjoy, All Platinum, Stang, Vibration, and Turbo Records before establishing the Sugar Hill label. Artists included his wife Sylvia Robinson, of Mickey & Sylvia fame (who had success in the 1950s with "Love is Strange"), The Moments ("Love on a Two Way Street"), Brother to Brother, Shirley and Company ("Shame Shame Shame").

Success

In the early 1980s, the Robinsons bought Levy out.[] They enjoyed several years of success. Sylvia produced several music videos and a young Spike Lee making his first music video for the song "White Lines" (performed by Melle Mel and The Furious Five). Joe Robinson was innovative in the business end. He was the first to introduce a cassette single.[] He also worked with TVS Television Network executive Tom Ficara to produce the Fresh Groove TV series to feature these music videos when MTV would not run them.[] The success of Fresh Groove forced MTV to establish Yo! MTV Raps,[] and rap music videos were now on a mainstream cable network.

Sold out

A controversial distribution deal with MCA Records ended up in protracted litigation, and, finally, the label closed down in 1986.[] In 1995, Rhino Records purchased all the released and unreleased masters owned by the Sugar Hill label, covering the Americas and Japan, with Castle Communications (now known as Sanctuary Records, a division of BMG Rights Management) taking the international rights.[3][4] In 2002, the company's Sugar Hill Studios (originally called Sweet Mountain Studios") in Englewood, New Jersey were destroyed by a fire.[] "Rapper's Delight," "The Message," and many other Sugar Hill hits were recorded there. Master tapes from the All Platinum years, as well as Sugar Hill recordings, were reportedly destroyed in the fire.

Label overviews

Old School Rap - The Sugar Hill Story (To The Beat Y'all)[5] (3-CD, 1993, Sequel Records)